Everything You Wanted To Know About Greyhound Nail Trimming

[Guest metgirl23]

I use Dremmel and Clippers..

Stormy will roach while I trim his nails with the Dremmel.. Lakota almost never needs his trimmed as they wear naturally but when he does he either lays down nicely or roaches while I Dremmel.

And then there are the ScaredyCats.. Chey hates both but will let me do it. I usually trim with clippers and then dremmel closer. She hates both but tolerates it .. If I try to cut while standing its a throw down.. I wait till she laying somewhere relaxed.. I have to do her or Sage first cause if they see the dremmel or clipppers they hide or act up.. They still have to have done though..

Sage has super thick nails nails more like a Lab and they are ALL black but one. It used to be a throw down EVERY time but after he had a toe amputated when it broke and had to have daily bandage changes. NOw he doesnt like but tolerates .. He will pitch a fit if I try when he stands but behaves if laying down.. I always used clippers on him but when I started the dremmel with the other dogs he took time to get used to it.. He is a former spook (if they can ever totally get over) so the clippers were familiar but the dremmel was new. After a few times just doing one nail each time to get him used to it, he now tolerates it fine..

ITs amazing how different each of my dogs nails are- They are as unique as their personalites.

 

[Guest GreytGoolyGee]

Out of the three Greys that we have lived with, none (thankfully) have ever minded having their nails done. I usually try one a month to take a little bit off when they get their heartworm and flea yadda yadda. Now, the one cat that my DH and I have had reigning over us.....you couldn't touch her to do her nails!

Edited June 18, 2008 by GreytGoolyGee

[Guest VelvetEars]

I gave up trying to do Jackson's on my own. He HATES to have his feet touched. If he sees the clippers, he gets on the couch with all of his feet pulled underneath him and growls. For such a good-natured dog, he's awfully snarky about his feet.

[MerlinsMum]

I do it at home because, although I really don't like doing it, and I always worry about getting too close to the quick, I just don't have the time or the money to take Merlin to the vet every time he needs his nails trimmed. And they grow fast! Also, I am lucky in that Merlin doesn't mind that much... I mean, he doesn't like it, and often takes his paw away, but nothing compared to other dogs who find it really distressing

 

I have been thinking of getting a dremel for some time, not sure how Merlin would do with the noise, but I am pretty sure it would make me feel better

Edited June 18, 2008 by merlinsmum

[Guest lionessgrace]

I didn't vote because I don't know what a dremmel is!!! Yikes!!!

[Guest silverjen]

Clippers, once a week because Lila's nails grow FAST! Previously, she let me do them without much fussing, but last week I made her yelp and now she's all "nuh-uh". I managed to do one foot today. I'll start mixing treats into the process; that certainly made a big difference in her attitude re: crating.

[Guest KsFrets]

Dremel convert here. (Files worked great but slooow). It took about a week of turning it on (but not using it) to get the M&M's used to the noise, and then touching it to their nails without turning it on. Then on a windy day (they couldn't hear the dremel very well) I took them in the back yard and dremeled their nails...with a little fight but success. It's been no problem ever since. Maggie was a terrible nipper with the clippers, but lays down now and lets me dremel alway. Magnus doesn't mind at all anymore...especially since he knows the less he squirms, the quicker he gets his cookie

[Guest zoolaine]

I have one dog - not a grey - that actually bites all his nails. Yeah its like he has OCD. The others i take to the groomer but now that I have 4 in my pack I'm going to get either a dremel or Peticure.

[Guest KennelMom]

I didn't vote because I don't know what a dremmel is!!! Yikes!!!

 

It's a handheld rotary device.

 

Today was dremel day for our crew...

[Guest heidihvt]

Use trimmers at home with all the kids. We use soft paws on our Grey to protect the hardwood floors.

[Guest valtoy]

My Ham's nails are all "black" so I can't see the vein. I use my Dremel and just file them down a bit, but they still look like he is the "Howard Hughes" of the dog world, very long! I noticed they trimmed them after his leg surgery, so that was nice, but his back ones are still long. He hates me fooling with his nails, but doesn't really mind the dremel.

 

Valerie

[Guest RocketDog]

I have the dogs hop up on the loveseat, where my fiance is sitting with a bag of tasty snacks. Since there's not enough space for them to fidget away, and they've got a bag of smelly goodness right in their face, it's pretty easy. Rocket gets annoyed if I spend too long on any one nail, so I grind down the tips on all of them and then go back to smooth them out on a second pass. Cassie's very patient, and she'd probably sit there and just stare at me even if I ground into her quick.

[Guest Cris_M]

I want to vote again! The gist of my first vote was that Duncan hated it, I hated it, and the vet liked it only because of the money.

 

Since I used the ideas here, Duncan goes to his bed and lays down waiting for me to turn on the Dremel. I can mess with any of his toes and he is wonderfully fine with it. He even likes me holding each of his feet afterwards and telling him how pretty they are.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Guest Dillymom]

The first time Lola needed hers done I took her to a groomer and asked them to dremel so I could watch. Then I got brave and tried it at home. She is scared of the big one that plugs in b/c it makes a lot of noise but the little cordless one works perfectly. She won't lay down for me to do it either. The groomer had her leash on her and sat on the leash to keep Lola from taking off so that's what I do as well. She doesn't love it but she doesn't hate it.

[Guest Energy11]

GOLDIE HATES HER NAILS DONE! Four years ago, she'd let me do them, and even paint them pink! Now, she tries to attack, and I MEAN attack! She does not do well with sedation, so we are resigned to the fact she will always have longer nails :-(

 

We use a jar a peanut butter as a distraction. DH holds it, I try to trim one or two nails at a time. The back ones are easy when she is distracted. NOT those front daggers.

 

Actually, today is the day! Everyone else was done two days ago. Today, we try to see how many front nails, if any, she will let us do!

 

 

[Guest Energy11]

Boy, Glad having DH hold that peanut butter jar for Goldie, while cutting her "nine inch nails," works, to a degree. They are shorter than they were, and she didnt' try to attack me until after we were done!! We do this gradually, NOT everyday, and we praise the heck out of her when we do it!

Edited October 5, 2009 by Energy11

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Most of mine do not like it. They'll yelp with each nail, even though I am using a dremmel and do not (and personally have never) quick them. I have one that goes absolutely insane and I put her on the table and use a neck "noose" (but it doesn't tighten) and a belly sling and a muzzle, and go about my business. She now holds still for this process, as she knows it's just the way it goes. I've tried not using the restraints and muzzle, and she goes right back to the same BS. So we deal! I do nails weekly. The others give me stink eye or whine with each nail except Roman and my Whippet, who roach and often snore while I do their nails

[cleptogrey]

clip, shape w/ dremel. dremeling needs to be done more often. i do not only my 2, one is psycho the other tolerates anything but 5 other local greys. when they are really long- and i've just started bringing them back it's clip away every week and every other week dremel. if the pup minds the dremel(my annie) if just clip and take out a nail file. i do perfer the miller's forge red handled clipper- small enough for my hand but sharp enough to shape and trim a nail. http://www.amazon.com/Millers-Forge-Stainless-Steel-Clipper/dp/B0002ARUKQ also it always easier when they are damp- after a walk on a rainy day or running in the muddy yard. just clean them up and trim away.

Edited January 13, 2013 by cleptogrey

[Guest SealDogMermaid]

a friend is a dog groomer and comes to our house to clip their nails (with a clipper). She has shown us how to do it but i am still a little nervous. Seal is a drama queen and will sometimes scream as if you hit something vital when the clippers arent anywhere near her paw hahah! Plus her nails are very dark and the vein doesnt necessarily run dead center - many of her nails have it to the left or right. She likes to pull her feet away right when you are about to snip too! ugh! cody on the other hand is very well behaved. He doesnt like it but he tolerates it. She clips them sometimes standing, sometimes laying in their beds while i sit/stand with them with a firm hand on their collar (no tension on the collar or anything of course, but just a precaution in case of a snap)

[Guest kahjul]

Our nervous girl does best when standing, with clippers, but it takes 2 people. If my husband isn't home to hold her, she goes to Petco and they do it for me. The other girl wears hers down (their feet are shaped differently, so even though we walk he same amount, 1 doesn't wear hers down), so I do just her dewclaws with a dremmel. She'll lay there and let me do them on movie nights.

[Guest StansMom]

Stan lays down on his bed, I let him sniff the dremel, then we get started. He is fine as long as he is fed treats and petted the whole time. He is a sucker for attention.